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Kathryn Busby

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Kathryn Busby
Born
Kathryn Ann Busby

United States
Other namesKathy Busby
Alma materHarvard University
Occupation(s)Film executive, film producer
Years active1996–present
EmployerStarz
RelativesMargaret Busby (aunt)
AwardsEssence Black Women In Hollywood Award, 2024

Kathryn Ann Busby is an American film executive, who has been senior vice president of development at Sony Pictures Television Networks (SPT),[1] executive vice president of TriStar Television,[2] and most recently President of Original Programming at Starz, announced in November 2021.[3] Sometimes credited as Kathy Busby, she is also a film producer. She was elected chair of the board of directors of BAFTA Los Angeles as of 2019,[4] and in January 2022 was announced as chair of BAFTA's inaugural North America Board,[5][6] in which role she was succeeded by Joyce Pierpoline in 2024.[7]

Biography

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Education and early work

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Busby graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University with a B.A. in Visual and Environmental Studies.[1][8][9] She worked in the record industry for several years as an executive at LaFace Records, Paisley Park Records,[10] and MCA Records in London, UK.[11]

Television career

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Beginning a career in television, Busby was director of comedy development at Universal Television from 1996 to 1999.[12]

From 1999 to 2005, she was senior vice president and head of development at Carsey-Werner,[8][13] where she developed such television series as Whoopi, The Tracy Morgan Show, Game Over, and Grounded for Life.[11][12] She was subsequently supervising producer for The Aisha Tyler Show and senior vice president of production at New Line Cinema,[11][14] where she was executive producer on the 2008 film Sex and the City[15][16] and senior executive on Rush Hour 3 (2007).

Busby worked for four years with Turner Broadcasting from 2010,[17] as vice president of comedy development and vice president of TNT and TBS Originals,[18] working on such shows as Black Box, Wedding Band and Sullivan & Son.[19] In 2014, she joined Sony Pictures Television (SPT) Networks, where she was senior vice president of development,[1] initiating and overseeing the sourcing, development and early production of original series around the world.[20]

As senior vice president of the boutique production unit Gemstone Studios, she spearheaded the development and production of drama series such as Absentia,[21] and oversaw the development of such projects as the local-language original series Ultraviolet and the series Carter (starring Jerry O'Connell and Sydney Poitier Heartsong), until in January 2020 being named executive vice president of TriStar Television, a division of SPT.[2][22][23][24]

In November 2021, it was announced that Busby would be leaving the Sony television label to become President of Original Programming at Starz, succeeding Christina Davis.[3][25][26][27]

In January 2022, Busby was elected Chair of the inaugural BAFTA North America Board, after BAFTA united its New York and Los Angeles entities.[28][29][30] She was succeeded in the role in 2024 by Joyce Pierpoline.[31]

Other activities

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Also a filmmaker, Busby's work includes having directed, produced and co-written the short film Max and Josh (2006), which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival,[32] and the 2004 comedy short My Purple Fur Coat[33] (winner of a Best Children's Short award at the Houston Black Film Festival).[11][34] She co-authored with Neena Beber the original screenplay Her Gal Friday, which was optioned at ABC's Freeform channel.

Busby is on the Los Angeles board of directors for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA),[35] of which she was elected deputy chair in January 2018,[36] and chair in December 2018.[37][38] She is also on the Board of Directors of PACE (Philanthropy and Community Engagement).[27]

Busby features in the 1999 book by Julian C. R. Okwu As I Am: Young African American Women in a Critical Age.[39] She is the niece of British publisher Margaret Busby.[40]

Accolades

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In December 2022, Busby was named on The Hollywood Reporter's Women in Entertainment Power 100 list.[41]

In March 2024, she was an honoree, alongside Danielle Brooks, Halle Bailey and Nkechi Okoro Carroll, at Essence magazine's 17th annual Black Women In Hollywood Awards,[42][43] and "emphasized that throughout her life, she learned a valuable lesson of not accepting the circumstances in front of her from her mom, aunt and grandmother....'They marched ahead because they didn't believe in limitations, and neither do I,' she said."[44] Asked the question "What do Black Women In Hollywood deserve?" by Kathleen Newman-Bremang, Busby replied: "We need to tell our stories and put them out in the world. I feel very grateful to have come up the ranks to a position of power where I really can have a say at what kind of stories are told."[45]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Kathryn Busby biography at Savoy, October 31, 2016.
  2. ^ a b Low, Elaine (January 8, 2020). "Kathryn Busby Tapped to Head Sony Pictures' TriStar Television". Variety.
  3. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (November 17, 2021). "TriStar TV's Kathryn Busby Joins Starz As President Of Original Programming". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  4. ^ "Board Election: Kathryn Busby elected Chair", BAFTA Los Angeles, December 11, 2018.
  5. ^ "BAFTA announces expansion of North America operations". BAFTA. January 5, 2022. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  6. ^ Calnan, Ellie (January 5, 2022). "Starz's Kathryn Busby to lead Bafta's new North America board". Screen Daily. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  7. ^ "Joyce Pierpoline appointed Chair of BAFTA North America's Board of Directors". BAFTA. January 8, 2024.
  8. ^ a b "Speaking of People | Television Executive Vice President". Ebony. November 1999. p. 12.
  9. ^ Kathryn Busby at LinkedIn.
  10. ^ Nathan, David (September 4, 1993). "Staples Poised For Big Break? Paisley Gears For promotional Push". Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 36.
  11. ^ a b c d McDonough, Candice (September 12, 2005). "Kathy Busby Joins New Line Cinema as Senior VP of Production". Time Warner.
  12. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (March 28, 2014). "Kathryn Busby Joins SPT Networks As SVP Programming & Production". Deadline Hollywood.
  13. ^ "People | Kathy Busby", Jet, Vol. 105, No. 10, March 8, 2004, p. 17.
  14. ^ Fritz, Ben (September 8, 2005). "Busby getting New Line gig". Variety.
  15. ^ "Films Monitored", BN-W eNewsletter #91.
  16. ^ "Sex and the City (2008) | Full Cast & Crew", IMDb.
  17. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 31, 2010). "Former Carsey-Werner exec joins TBS". The Hollywood Reporter.
  18. ^ "TNT and TBS's Original Programming Group Reorganizes, with New Roles for Lillah McCarthy, Brett Weitz and Kathy Busby, Plus Newly Hired Unscripted Development Exec David Eilenberg", The Futon Critic, July 11, 2012.
  19. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (January 9, 2010). "Kathryn Busby Promoted to Head of TriStar TV". The Hollywood Reporter.
  20. ^ "EXCLUSIVE - Brief interview with Kathryn Busby (Sony Pictures Television Network) - MIA Market 2018", Mia Market - Mercato Internazionale Audiovisivo, July 3, 2019.
  21. ^ Low, Elaine (March 12, 2019). "Sony Pictures Television Launches New Boutique Production Unit (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
  22. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 9, 2020). "Kathryn Busby Named Head Of TriStar Television". Deadline Hollywood.
  23. ^ Yee, Lawrence (January 9, 2020). "Kathryn Busby Named Head of TriStar Television". The Wrap.
  24. ^ "Kathryn Busby Named Head Of TriStar Television". Essence. January 23, 2020.
  25. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (November 17, 2021). "Kathryn Busby to Head Original Programming at Starz". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  26. ^ Otterson, Joe (November 17, 2021). "Starz Names Kathryn Busby President of Original Programming". Variety. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  27. ^ a b "Kathryn Busby | President, Original Programming". Starz.
  28. ^ Ritman, Alex (January 5, 2022). "BAFTA Unifies U.S. Operations Under One Board, Starz's Kathryn Busby Named Chair". The Hollywood Reporter.
  29. ^ Goldbart, Max (January 5, 2022). "Starz Programming Boss Kathryn Busby To Chair BAFTA's All-New North America Board". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  30. ^ Yossman, K.J. (January 5, 2022). "BAFTA Expands North America Operations, Appoints Starz's Kathryn Busby as Board Chair". Variety. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  31. ^ Ritman, Alex (January 8, 2024). "BAFTA Names Joyce Pierpoline New North America Board Chair". Variety. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  32. ^ Speakers | International Drama Summit Speakers, Content London.
  33. ^ "My Purple Fur Coat (2004)", IMDb.
  34. ^ "The 1st Annual Houston Black Film Festival Wrapped Up Sunday June 26th, With Distribution and Option Deals On the Table"[dead link‍], Cision PrWeb, July 5, 2005.
  35. ^ "The Board and Staff", BAFTA Los Angeles.
  36. ^ Ritman, Alex (January 22, 2018). "Sony executive Kathryn Busby has been elected deputy chair of the British Academy's L.A. board". The Hollywood Reporter.
  37. ^ Silba, Mark A. (December 11, 2018). "Kathryn Busby elected chair of Bafta LA board". Screen Daily.
  38. ^ White, Peter (December 11, 2018). "Sony Exec Kathryn Busby To Chair BAFTA LA Board". Deadline Hollywood.
  39. ^ Okwu, Julian C. R. (1999). As I Am: Young African American Women in a Critical Age. Chronicle Books. ISBN 978-0811820738.
  40. ^ @Busby (February 19, 2016). "A reminder of how impressive my Aunt Margaret was, and still is" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  41. ^ O'Connell, Mikey (December 7, 2022). "The Hollywood Reporter's 2022 Women in Entertainment Power 100". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  42. ^ Jones, Okla (March 7, 2024). "Meet The 2024 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Honorees". Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  43. ^ "WATCH: Black Women In Hollywood: Kathryn Busby Acceptance Speech". Essence. March 22, 2024. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  44. ^ "Halle Bailey, Danielle Brooks Share How They Overcame Personal Challenges at Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards". Hollywood Reporter. March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  45. ^ "What Do Black Women In Hollywood Deserve? We Asked Them". Refinery29. March 15, 2024. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
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